Subscribe to the latest research through IGI Global's new InfoSci-OnDemand Plus

InfoSci®-OnDemand Plus, a subscription-based service, provides researchers the ability to access full-text content from over 93,000+ peer-reviewed book chapters and 24,000+ scholarly journal articles covering 11 core subjects. Users can select articles or chapters that meet their interests and gain access to the full content permanently in their personal online InfoSci-OnDemand Plus library.

When ordering directly through IGI Global's Online Bookstore, receive the complimentary e-books for the first, second, and third editions with the purchase of the Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition e-book.

InfoSci®-Journals Annual Subscription Price for New Customers: As Low As US$ 4,080*

This collection of over 185 e-journals offers unlimited access to highly-cited, forward-thinking content in full-text PDF and HTML with no DRM. There are no platform or maintenance fees and a guarantee of no more than 5% increase annually.

Abstract

This research was designed to increase the awareness of female students with regard to Computer Science (CS) as both a major and a career field. Five female students from a high school in a northeastern state were voluntarily recruited for a weekly, after-school computer club curriculum for one academic year. Over the project period, participants ventured through tasks relating to various technologies, thereby increasing their computer confidence. Collaboration preferences increased only when faced with both technical and content knowledge. Participants’ understanding of CS changed from abstract and superficial to more concrete, but disinterest in the major persisted. Finally, while the participants’ perceptions of gender differences changed, some of the self-reflections did not match their responses to structured questions. While the project impacted only a small sample, increased knowledge of the field of CS prevailed. If females are educated earlier, this may cause a noticeable shift in gender inequity amongst CS majors.

Literature Review

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that from 2008 to 2018, employment of computer software engineers and computer programmers is projected to increase by 21 percent; employment of computer and information systems managers is expected to grow 17 percent; employment of computer systems analysts is expected to improve by 20 percent; and employment of computer scientists is expected to yield a 24 percent increase. All of these indicate a much faster growth rate than the average for all non-computing related occupations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). The United States Labor Department has also projected that graduates of computer related majors will have strong job prospects (Vesgo, 2006). Unfortunately, the Information Technology (IT) workforce has had a shortage of qualified personnel, and the diminishing workforce problem is expected to be even more serious in the coming decade (Kamal, 2005; Nagesh, 2009; Opsahl, 2008; Peckham et al., 2007; Teitelbaum, 2006). Researchers have remarked that if we attract more female students to computing disciplines and sustain their interests in the IT industry, the problem of the IT workforce shortage could be resolved to a certain degree (Katz, Allbritton, Aronis, Wilson, & Soffa, 2006; Panko, 2008) since females represent over 50% of the higher education student population (Peckham et al., 2007).